'Hilarious, heart-wrenching and packed with British music history.' - COLDPLAY
A Virgin Radio Book of the Year
It's a life-and-near-death story. But whose life? And whose near-death?
As a one-time NME journalist, former Xfm radio presenter, toilet-circuit promoter and the founder of enduring homespun British record label Fierce Panda, Simon Williams has been at the cutting, cutting, cutting edge of all things 'indie' for over thirty years.
During his tenure as managing director of Fierce Panda (a role he holds to this day), Simon was responsible for tripping over bands such as Coldplay, Keane, Placebo and countless other acts of independent hue - some of whom have gone on to achieve earth-shattering musical superstardom, while others have merely baffled the crowd at the Bull & Gate in north London on a wet Wednesday evening.
Unfiltered and unflinching, Pandamonium! is the story of Simon's time at the indie coalface, filled with insider anecdotes to entertain music enthusiasts everywhere - from the origins of a bootlegged Oasis release to Chris Martin's delight at reaching number ninety-two in the charts. But it is also the story of how Simon tried to bring a premature end to proceedings, documenting in blunt, matter-of-fact detail his longstanding mental-health struggles.
Yet, despite his raw and often poignant honesty, Simon writes with the warmth, wit, self-deprecation and wide-eyed good fortune of someone who has stared into the abyss and survived, bounding down a few indie rabbit holes along the way. Simon Williams is the founder and managing director of the Fierce Panda independent record label. A key figure in the music industry, he has previously worked for the NME and XFM. An honest and astonishing memoir by Fierce Panda record-label founder Simon Williams, charting his love affair with indie, his music-industry successes and his heartfelt personal struggles. Simon is well connected, having worked in the music industry, radio broadcasting and print journalism during the past three decades, so he will be able to draw on his contacts for PR purposes. Radio 6 broadcaster Steve Lamacq remains a close ally and advocate. Publication of the book is planned to sit alongside a Fierce Panda greatest-hits-type compilation, which would optimise cross-marketing opportunities. There is an important mental-health angle to the book that will give it a wider readership than a music-only memoir. Pub date will fall just before World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September 2022) and a month before World Mental Health Day (10 October 2022), meaning there will be increased conversation surrounding mental health at the time, which could be tied into the book's marketing and publicity. 'Coldplay wouldn't exist without Simon Williams. He was the first journalist to write about our band and released our first single on his legendary label, Fierce Panda. His memoir is hilarious, heart-wrenching and packed with British music history.' 'Remarkable tales from both the frontline of rock journalism and behind the scenes at one of our greatest underplayed British indie labels; open, entertaining and extraordinarily poignant.' 'Williams is a towering colossus of indie. Pandamonium! is filled with autobiographical honesty, engaging humour and some really awful puns.' 'A brilliant memoir: funny, thrilling, but also as moving as any book about music I've ever read. It's full of the same stuff as the best records and gigs - entertainment, but also a sense of life at its most profound.' 'Jaw dropping ... really moving. Highly recommend it.' 'A truly shocking episode from the recent past helps turn an entertaining romp into something much more moving. 8/10' 'A dryly self-deprecating and desperately poignant picture of heartfelt endeavour and harsh reality. 4/5'
